Sam Laurila
2024-25 Team: Fargo Force (USHL)
Date of Birth: Sep. 2, 2006
Place of Birth: Moorhead, Minnesota
Ht: 6-foot-1 Wt: 187 pounds
Shoots: Left
Position: Defence
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2025 second-year eligible
Rankings
Every year, talented prospects are passed over by all 32 NHL teams at the NHL Entry Draft. There are a variety of reasons why that happens. Age, size, lack of production, or inconsistency can all play a part in a player not getting drafted, but it can also just come down to numbers. Only 224 players can be selected in a year, and while that seems like a lot, there are thousands of players hoping to hear their name called.
Sam Laurila was one of those players last season. The left-shooting defenceman had a strong season with the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) as a depth defender, recording 11 points in 61 games with the Program and another four points in 17 games in the United States Hockey League (USHL). He demonstrated some great skating technique and puck movement, but was utilized more as a defensive defenceman, which led NHL Central Scouting to list him 148th among North American skaters for the 2024 Draft, although he was initially ranked 102nd at the midterm.
Related: THW’s 2025 NHL Draft Guide
Unfortunately, once everything concluded, Laurila was still undrafted. At 6-foot-0, he was on the smaller side, limiting his potential as a shutdown defenceman in the NHL. It was a disappointing result after years of hard work, but he was undeterred as he joined the USHL’s Fargo Force. There, he emerged as a dangerous two-way defenceman. He still had his strong defensive instincts, using his movement and vision to shut down plays, but he began to show off a very well-developed offensive game. By the midpoint of the season, he led the Force with 26 points, earning him a coveted spot at the USA Hockey Chipotle All-American Game in January. He was a brand-new player compared to last season, yet he never forgot what motivated him to keep trying.
“It’s something that really comes to mind as you work through things, proving that you should have been drafted and then realizing there’s an opportunity still to be drafted this year,” Laurila said ahead of the USA Hockey All-American Game. “This game is a chance to play my game on a larger scale, kind of show what I can do. It’s all about taking the next opportunity and finding a way to show yourself. That’s how you have to approach an event like this.”
James Hagens, Matthew Schaefer (The Hockey Writers)
Laurila continued to dominate the USHL in the new year. After joining the Americans for the U19 World Junior A Challenge (where he won gold), he returned to Fargo and continued to pile up points, finishing tied for first on the team with 41 points in 57 games. His incredible performance earned him a nomination for the USHL’s Defenceman of the Year and named the Fargo Force’s Best Defenceman and Most Valuable Player, an honour that’s been bestowed on the likes of Mac Swanson, Cole Knuble, Blake Lizotte, and Alex Iafallo.
A key component of Laurila’s breakout has been his skating. He moves smoothly across the ice with speed, easily weaving in and out of traffic, and can find open ice before anyone else has a chance to get there. That helps him set up some fantastic plays, as he can draw in opponents’ attention, allowing him to move the puck to open teammates for scoring opportunities. He shows some surprising deception with the puck for a defenceman, which also aided his ability to move quickly and shift directions on a dime.
Laurila loves to get the puck in deep, carrying it almost up to the hash marks before either attempting a shot or moving it to a teammate. He’s incredibly dangerous up close and can often outmaneuver the goalie to find an opening, but this also occasionally creates problems. Like a lot of defencemen who thrive on the activation, he can sometimes overcommit and lose the puck without setting up a scoring chance. One reason he may drive the puck in deep is because he doesn’t have the heaviest shot for a defenceman. It’s still hard and accurate, and he can rip it from the point or up close, but he doesn’t utilize it as much as he could. Of his 41 points, only eight were goals, and he finished with just 101 shots in 2024-25, the 10th most of all USHL defencemen despite playing some of the highest minutes on average in the league.
Yet a lot of those holes in his game are seen as far less problematic now than they were a year ago. NHL Central Scouting ranked Laurila 65th on their Final Ranking, and he was one of 90 players invited to the NHL Draft Combine in early June. He’s more mature, more well-rounded, and more consistent in almost every area of his game. Someone will certainly call his name this time around.
Other THW Draft Profiles
Sam Laurila – NHL Draft Projection
Overage prospects can be difficult to project, as every NHL team seems to value them differently. However, he is one of the youngest re-entry prospects up for the draft, as he missed the cut-off to be in the 2025 Draft class by just 14 days. That may prompt some teams to look at him much earlier than his ranking suggests, since he has almost as much development time ahead of him as the rest of the first-year eligible prospects, yet has already taken massive steps in the USHL. He could be selected as early as the second round, but will more likely be taken in the third or fourth.
Quotables
“He’s having a great season for us. I think he has really kind of proven the detractors wrong from the offensive side of things. The NTDP time was great for his defensive base. He’s a great defender. I couldn’t teach a kid to defend like that in 10 years if you gave me. But for me, knowing that, it was really pushing him to the offensive side and he has really taken to it. It’s natural for him. He does have the skill and the ability to do it, so it was just pushing him in the right directions. It has been fun to watch him take off. It has been a really useful year for him. Coming out of the program, it’s tough, there’s only one puck and so much ice time and power play. Sammy has now been in critical situations offensively as well as defensively that he’s going to use as experience moving forward.” – Fargo Force Head Coach/GM Brett Skinner (from ‘2025 NHL Draft: Ranking the top 15 overagers, from Francesco Dell’Elce to Charlie Cerrato,’ The Athletic, 5/26/25)
“Laurila is a firecracker on the puck, with an explosive first step, quick hands, and a great ability to find passing lanes. He breaks down the wings quickly and knows how to either set up teammates in the middle or use his rifle of a shot to beat goalies from low-chance angles. The moments Laurila gets to show those skills are by far his best, but he’s needed to improve in how he fills time between them. He’s certainly taken a big step forward in defending the rush and using his stocky frame to get in the way of opponents, but he’s still adjusting to a real physical style. He holds down the blue line well, but can struggle to create chances where his quick feet don’t give him an advantage. He’s a player with a very clear, defining trait – and the tools to build a strong style around it. He’s worth housing in your prospect pool, but certainly has development ahead of him.” – Gabriel Foley, Recruit Scouting
“An undrafted defensive defenceman from last year’s NTDP class, Sam Laurila has blossomed into a strong 200-foot blueliner playing more than 23 minutes on most nights for the Fargo Force. While he still doesn’t waste much time on puck, he’s integrated an intelligent activations game and more purposeful and deceptive passing decisions in the offensive zone this season, which have helped him reach the summit of defenceman scoring in the league with a goal and 13 points in as many games. His defensive aggression and strong instincts while defending the rush have helped him keep the puck out of his own net, too. His defensive game remains his bread and butter, and expect the point tally to slow its growth as the year progresses, but the added pace and quick decision-making that have marked his game this year compared to last could very well earn him an NHL draft selection a year after he’d have hoped. Laurila has been the big surprise for Fargo this season and has been integral in their current placement at third in the West.” – Sebastian High, Elite Prospects
Strengths
Skating
Puck movement
Defensive presence
Under Construction/Improvements to Make
Decision-making
Performance under pressure
NHL Potential
Despite his breakout, Laurila still projects to be a bottom-pairing defenceman in the NHL, albeit a very good one. His mobility and ability to carry the puck will make him an effective depth player in the NHL, and his defensive instincts are already well-developed, making him a reliable player who can be put into a variety of situations. His size is unfortunately one of his biggest limitations, and unless he can take another giant step next season, he probably won’t find himself on a second pairing.
Risk-Reward Analysis
Risk –2/5, Reward – 3/5
Fantasy Hockey Potential
Offence – 6/10, Defence – 6.5/10
Awards/Achievements
2024-25 USHL First All-Star Team
2024-25 USHL Defenceman of the Year Finalist
2024-25 Fargo Force Most Outstanding Defenceman & MVP
2024-25 WJAC-19 Champion
2023-24 U18 WJC Silver Medal
Interviews/Links
Sam Laurila Stats
Videos
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